We talk, often at great length, about ways to save money – to squirrel a little away each month for our life after work.

And while we all seem to wish we could save more, an answer to the question “why aren’t we saving” can be found by looking at where we are spending our cash. Where, Save with SPP wants to know, are our “non-savings” going?

According to Statistics Canada data from 2016, reported on in the Slice.ca blog, Canadians spent an average of $84,489 per household in that year. That’s what they spent, remember, not what they made – most of us spend more than we earn.

The blog reports that Canadians spent the most on shelter – 19 per cent of the total. “In 2016, according to StatsCan, the average Canadian household spent $16,293, or a little over 19 per cent of their total expenditure, on their principal accommodation,” the blog reports.

Next on the list is income tax, weighing in at 18.1 per cent. “They say that the only things that are certain in life are death and taxes. In Canada, $15,310 – or 18.1 per cent – of the average household’s total expenditure went to income tax in 2016,” the blog explains.

The third biggest category is called “private transportation,” our vehicles, which cost us $10,660 per year, Slice.ca notes. The category makes up 12.6 per cent of the total.

Next biggies are food, at seven per cent ($6,176) and “household operations,” which includes phones and Internet — $4,705, or 5.5 per cent, Slice.ca reports. Rounding out the top 10 (Slice.ca actually gives the top 20) are insurance and pension contributions ($5,067, or six per cent), clothing and accessories ($3,371, or four per cent), restaurant dining ($2,608, or three per cent), healthcare ($2,574 or three per cent) and utilities ($2,460 or 2.9 per cent). Savings didn’t make the top 20.

We can’t do much about most of these categories, but some are “non-essential” and could be targeted for spending cuts. If we were to save even 10 per cent of what we spend on vehicles, phones and Internet, clothing and restaurant dining, we’d have a whopping $2,134.40 to add to our retirement savings each year. Saving five per cent would provide a $1,067.20 boost to your savings.

Global News reports that we Canucks “splurge on guilty pleasures.” Citing research from Angus Reid and Capital One, the broadcaster reports that 72 per cent of us “dine out several times a month,” 71 per cent “regularly order takeout,” and half of us buy coffee daily.

MoneySense notes that a lack of personal savings has a variety of negative impacts for Canadians. Citing research from Abacus Data, the publication notes that only 34 per cent of us could “come up with $1,000 right away without borrowing or using credit.”

Debt seems to be missing from these spending stats.

According to the Financial Post via MSM Money  the cost of paying our debts is cutting into our ability to pay other expenses.

“More than half of Canadians say they’re increasingly concerned about their ability to pay debts as disposable income shrank by a fifth since June,” the Post reports, citing data from insolvency practice MNP Ltd.

“Average monthly disposable income after paying bills and debt obligations fell $142 to $557,” the Post reports, adding that “nearly half — 48 per cent — of the 2,002 respondents to the early September poll by market research company Ipsos said they’re left with less than $200 at the end of the month.”

This is a lot of information, but a picture emerges. We’re not, as a rule, planning on saving anything each month. In fact, credit balances are getting so high that many of us can’t cover all our bills without dipping further into debt. We can understand how we might cut back on spending, but we also have to cut back on using credit, too.

We all have the power to cut back on spending and borrowing. That will not only reduce our costs, it will reduce our stress levels. Imagine a future where you have control of all your bills – it’s an achievable dream. And as you get to that desired level of financial freedom, you’ll have more and more money to put away for retirement.

If you’re looking for a place to grow those hard-earned savings, look no further than the Saskatchewan Pension Plan. Be sure to check them out today.

Written by Martin Biefer
	Martin Biefer is Senior Pension Writer at Avery & Kerr Communications in Nepean, Ontario. A veteran reporter, editor and pension communicator, he’s now a freelancer. Interests include golf, line dancing and classic rock. He and his wife live with their Shelties, Duncan and Phoebe, and cat, Toobins. You can follow him on Twitter – his handle is @AveryKerr22

By Sheryl Smolkin

One of the ways many of us try to stretch our dollars further is by taking advantage of rewards programs ranging from cash back or travel rewards on credit cards to points cards from your local supermarket or drug store.

I have been a big fan of travel rewards ever since I did a distance Master of Law degree in the UK in the mid 1990s that required me to travel to Europe half a dozen times in two years. But I have a collection of other loyalty cards in my wallet including a punch card from a bakery that rewards me with a free dozen bagels every time I’ve purchased ten dozen in total.

A September 2015 report from Montreal-based Aimia Inc., which operates Aeroplan and other customer-loyalty programs says of the 89% of Canadians enrolled in a loyalty program, 59% have done so with supermarkets, 22% have signed up with banks and 18% with restaurants.

On itbusiness.ca Brian Jackson reported in March 2015 on a research study conducted by Yahoo Inc. The average Canadian has four loyalty program cards in their wallets, the study found. More than half of consumers say they frequently use those cards to accumulate points and miles. Two-thirds of them go online to calculate the value of the loyalty program, and six out of 10 choose loyalty programs that come free-of-charge.

On Robb Engen’s say-so, I replaced my CIBC Aeroplan VISA with a Capital One Aspire Travel World MasterCard about 18 months ago. This week I was delighted to get an email from the company describing how their program has been enhanced by elimination of the the tiered redemption program and the introduction of partial redemptions. Read all about the changes on RewardsCardsCanada and why with these changes, Capital One has further cemented its status as the best value rewards card for everyday travelers.

If unlike your jet setting neighbours, you travel infrequently, you may be interested in the blog on familyfuncanada.com about the best loyalty programs for infrequent travelers. Helen Early says Airmiles can bring you plenty of rewards. According to Early, the best thing about the Airmiles program is that you can earn points almost anywhere, through activities that you probably already do. She also notes that hotel chains like Faimont, Starwood, Best Western and Hilton offer great deals and discounts for even the lowest tier of members.

Krystal Yee wrote a sponsored post on Give Me Back My Five Bucks about how you can be rewarded for everyday purchases when using your debit card. She reports that while there are very few debit rewards in Canada, Scotiabank offers three.

• The SCENE Debit Card allows you to earn accelerated points through Cineplex online and in person (5x based on purchases) as well as at a few other select locations including Sport Chek, Milestones and East Side Mario’s. You will also earn one point for every five dollars spent in other locations.
• With the Moneyback Debit Card you can earn 1% on every purchase you make – up to a maximum of $300 per year. Those that open up an account before October 31st will earn double the rewards – $600 – through to that day.
• With every purchase made on a ScotiaHockey NHL® debit card, you will be entered to win grand prizes including four 2016 NHL® All-Star Game packages, four 2016 Stanley Cup® Final packages, four 2016 Molson Canadian NHL Face-Off™ packages as well as 45 monthly prizes.

Do you follow blogs with terrific ideas for saving money that haven’t been mentioned in our weekly “Best from the blogosphere?” Share the information with us on http://wp.me/P1YR2T-JR and your name will be entered in a quarterly draw for a gift card.

By Sheryl Smolkin

I got my first travel rewards card in the mid-1990s when I was doing a distance LLM at University of Leicester and had to travel to Europe for series of residential weekends.

Without a great deal of thought, I opted for a CIBC Aerogold card because in addition to getting one point for every mile in the air, points were also awarded for amounts spent on household expenses with 1.5 per dollar credited for purchases at some grocery stores, drug stores and gas stations.

But it was often very hard to get Aeroplan seats on the flights we wanted to take. And it got even more difficult when Aeroplan instituted the current program, where the number of points required to reach a particular destination varies depending on the time of day, the day of the week or the time of the year.

When I started researching travel rewards cards again for this article, I realized that the current selection of over 70 cards is mind boggling and selecting a card that delivers the best value depends on whether you pay a fee, how much you spend each year and where you want to go.

In all cases, unless you pay off your credit card balance every month, the interest you pay on the outstanding balance will quickly erode the value of any travel benefits.

The most up-to-date resource I found was Rewards Canada. Here is their top 2012 pick in two categories with some of the key features of each card.

Top Travel Points Credit Card (with annual fee)

Capital One® Aspire Travel™ World MasterCard®*

The Capital One Aspire Travel World MasterCard has has been number 1 in this category for three years. Here are some of the reasons why:

• Earn 2 reward miles for every $1 – on all purchases
• Get 35,000 bonus reward miles with your first purchase
• Get 10,000 anniversary bonus reward miles every year
• Annual fee of $120. No additional fee to get a second card for “an authorized user.”
• This card can be a good choice for someone who spends at least $2,000/month.

A requirement of this card is a minimum personal income of $60,000 or household income of $100,000.

Top Travel Points Credit Card (with no annual fee)

American Express Blue Sky Credit Card (2011: 1)

The Blue Sky Credit Card has been top in this category for four years. Here’s why:

• Earn 2 points for every $1 in eligible card purchases at your chosen 5 places.
• Earn 1 point for every $1 in card purchases everywhere else.
• Earn a welcome bonus of 7,500 points the first time you use the approved card

I encourage you to follow the five step guide to choosing a travel rewards on the Rewards Canada website for a brief description of the types of travel rewards credit cards and what to look out for when choosing one.

There is an excellent chart updated to January 2013 comparing features of a series of the most popular Canadian travel cards. The Choosing a Travel Rewards Credit Card Flow Chart can also help you narrow down what category and type of card you should choose.

Have you selected a new travel rewards credit card lately? Have you had good or bad experiences with the card you are currently using? Send us an email so*********@sa*********.com. If your story is posted, your name will be entered in a quarterly draw for a gift card. And remember to put a dollar in the retirement savings jar every time you use one of our money-saving ideas.

If you would like to send us other money saving ideas, here are the themes for the next three weeks:

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28-Mar	Books	Comparing eReaders
04-Apr	Real estate	New or resale house? Pros and cons